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"By Oscar LeRoy Sports Writer Lyrell Barfield can't help but crack a smile when asked about her play on the defensive end of the basketball court. It's hard for Barfield, a sophomore guard for the Midland College women's basketball team, not to crack a smile to begin with. When Barfield first came to Midland College, everybody knew she was quick and had a shooting touch most players dream about. But when it came to playing defense, Lady Chaps head coach Ron Jones wasn't all that impressed. \"Truth to the matter, she wasn't very good defensively when she first got here. And she's turned into a good defender,\" said Jones, who's entering his 15th season at Midland College. \"To her credit, she wanted to get that fixed and she's doing a good job.\" Added Barfield, \"(Jones) told me last year that I played way better than I did when I first got here last year and I've seen it for myself. To be able to see myself accomplish something like playing defense a lot better, I'm just so proud of myself that I was able to do that.\" Thanks to her hard work improving on defense, Barfield is now a more complete player entering this season. It's those skills on the defensive side, along with Barfield's already proven offensive skills that earned her the honor of an NJCAA Division I Preseason All-American. A year ago, Barfield, who is 5-foot-8 and from Miami, Fla., averaged 13.9 points and 3.6 rebounds a game for a Lady Chap team that finished 31-6 and fifth at the national tournament. To go with Barfield's preseason accolades, the Lady Chaps enter the season as the sixth-ranked team in the nation. While expectations are nothing new to this program, Jones said he believes he's got the deepest team he's ever had. It also doesn't hurt to have a player like Barfield as key weapon. \"I expect for this team to work hard every day in practice and give it our all this season,\" Barfield said. \"I think everybody brings a different skill to this team and it's just about putting it all together into one group. Once everybody has a better understanding of what coach Jones wants us to do, I feel we have a chance to have a very good year.\" Thanks to the quality depth, Barfield won't have to carry the big load this season, although she can do it. The national tournament was a showcase for Barfield's talent, as she averaged 20.3 points over four games and had a game-high 29 points in the 77-71 overtime victory against the College of Southern Idaho in the fifth-place game. Thanks to that performance, Barfield was selected to the all-tournament team. \"At the national tournament because of all our injuries, she carried us through some of those games,\" Jones said. \"She's got a lot more help this year.\" Barfield said she cherished the experience of playing on a large stage. \"I never thought I would be a freshman coming to a college, even a junior college, to be able to experience something like that in life,\" Barfield said. \"I had fun the whole time. Even though we weren't successful throughout the whole tournament, I thought we did good as a team because we worked so hard to get that far.\" Barfield and her teammates wouldn't mind experiencing that feeling at the tournament again this season. Although this year, the Lady Chaps expect to get there, and if everything comes together, they could be playing for a lot more than fifth. \"We want to treat this season like a business,\" Barfield said. \"We want to win regionals and then go to nationals. If we take care of business, then we might win a national championship.\" What to expect in 2008-09 Head coach: Ron Jones, 15th year (403-125 in 16 years overall, 369-98 at Midland College) 2007-08 record: 31-6 overall, 11-3 in Western Junior College Athletic Conference (second) Postseason: 6-1, defeated College of Southern Idaho 77-71 in OT for fifth place at NJCAA National Tournament in Salina, Kan. Key players returning: G Lyrell Barfield (13.9 ppg, 3.6 rg), G Dymond Morgan (5.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg), G Leeshantea Johnson (5.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg) F Mele Leasau (7.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg) Top newcomers: G Erika Warren, F Shaquiri Graham, G Lauren Mansfield, P Florencia Hernandez, G Tajai Rogers, F Adrie Shiels Coach's quote: \"My number one goal is to become one of the best defensive teams in the country. If we do that we're going to have a great chance to do something special this season.\" Notables: Jones said this team may be the deepest he's ever had as far as quality at every position. He said that depth is going to give his team a lot of potential with its fullcourt defense. \"We just want to wear people out,\" Jones said. …One player not coming back for this season is G Jessica Wallis, who suffered a serious knee injury during the regional tournament, and is back home in Australia rehabilitating. …A player who is returning is Leasau, who played in just nine games before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Jones said Leasau hasn't had any knee problems this season. 2008-09 Roster No. Name Ht. Class Pos. Hometown 5 Lauren Mansfield 5-6 Fr. G Adelaide, Australia 10 Tajai Rogers 5-7 Fr. G Oklahoma City, Okla 11 Camile Cooper 5-4 Fr. G Indio, Calif. 20 Lyrell Barfield 5-8 Soph. G Miami, Fla. 21 Dymond Morgan 5-7 Soph. G Lynwood, Calif. 22 Candice Kohn 5-10 Fr. G Midland 23 Leeshantea Johnson 5-9 Soph. G Palataka, Fla. 24 Adrie Shiels 6-1 Fr. F Canberra, Australia 31 Shaquiri Graham 6-0 Fr. F Midland 32 Arika Ullman 5-8 Fr. G Baltimore, Md. 33 Mele Leasau 6-0 Soph. F San Diego, Calif. 34 Erika Warren 5-10 Fr. G Tyler 42 Heather Sheppard 6-4 Fr. P Coahoma 45 Florencia Hernandez 6-2 Fr. P Buenos Aires, Argentina 55 Sade Dunkley 61 Fr. P Plant City, Fla. Head Coach: Ron Jones Assistant Coach: Ginger Gatliff 2008-09 Schedule Date Opponent Time Oct. 31 a-Ranger College 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1 a-Air Force Prep 5 p.m. Nov. 6 b-Garden City CC 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7 b-Hill College 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 b-College of Southern Idaho 5 p.m. Nov. 13 c-Snow College 3 p.m. Nov. 14 c-Salt Lake City 6 p.m. Nov. 15 c-College of Southern Idaho 2 p.m. Nov. 20-22 WJCAC Pre-Conference Tournament TBA Nov. 20 Clarendon College 7 p.m. Nov. 27 d-Trinity Valley Noon Nov. 28 d-Cisco College Noon Nov. 29 d-Hill College Noon Dec. 3 *Howard College 5:30 p.m. Dec. 6 *at New Mexico JC 6:30 p.m. (CST) Jan. 2 e-Paris College 6 p.m. Jan. 3 e-Angelina College 3 p.m. Jan. 8 *Western Texas College 5:30 p.m. Jan. 10 *Odessa College 5:30 p.m. Jan. 12 *at Clarendon College 5:30 p.m. Jan. 15 *South Plains College 5:30 p.m. Jan. 26 *Frank Phillips College 5:30 p.m. Jan. 29 *at Howard College 5:30 p.m. Feb. 2 *New Mexico JC 5:30 p.m. Feb. 5 *at Western Texas College 5:30 p.m. Feb. 9 *at Odessa College 5:30 p.m. Feb. 12 *Clarendon College 5:30 p.m. Feb. 16 *at South Plains College 5:30 p.m. Feb. 26 *at Frank Phillips College 5:30 p.m. March 7-10 Region V Tournament (Lubbock) TBA March 17-21 National Tournament (Salina, Kan.) TBA a-Tip-Off Classic at Chaparral Center b-Lady Chap Classic at Chaparral Center c-Salt Lake City Classic d-Odessa College Thanksgiving Classic e-SAWBC Classic at Waco *denotes Western Junior College Athletic Conference game 2008-09 NJCAA Women's Preseason Division I Basketball Poll College 2007-08 record 1. Jefferson (Mo.) College 32-3 2. Trinity Valley CC 27-7 3. College of Southern Idaho 32-3 4. Central Arizona College 34-1 5. Gulf Coast (Fla.) CC 36-1 6. Midland College 31-6 7. Cloud County (Kan.) CC 26-7 8. University of Arkansas-Fort Smith 34-2 9. Chipola (Fla.) College 21-9 10. Connors State (Okla.) College 28-5 11. Western Nebraska CC 32-6 12. South Plains College 26-4 13. East Central (Miss.) CC 22-8 14. Shelton State (Ala.) CC 31-5 15. Southwestern Illinois College 24-9 16. Seminole State (Fla.) College 27-4 17. Seward County (Fla.) CC 23-9 18. Monroe (N.Y.) CC 20-9 19. Yavapai (Ariz.) College 21-11 20. Tyler Junior College 22-9 21. Lake Region State College 26-8 22. Walters State (Tenn.) CC 30-6 23. Georgia Perimeter College 19-16 24. Salt Lake (Utah) CC 23-8 25. Casper (Wyo.) College 20-11 26. Itawamba (Miss.) CC 21-9 27. McLennan CC 22-9 28. Southwest Tennessee CC 25-1 29. Arizona Western College 21-9 30. Cowley County (Kan.) CC 21-12"
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